Wire drawing lubricant



Patented Mar. 14, 1950 WIRE DRAWING LUBRICANT Frank A. Fink, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New J ersey, a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing.

Application April 29, 1947,

Serial No. 744,799

This invention relates to an improved wire drawing lubricant.

In the past when wire was made by passing a rod through a plurality of wire drawing dies, a great deal of the wire would break due to poor lubrication after it was partially drawn down to size and it was necessary to anneal the broken Wire before it could be drawn down to the desired finished size. Approximately 20% of the wire must be so annealed. Also, a large amount of wear was caused on the dies so that the die life was quite short.

This invention has among its objects the provision of an improved lubricant for such wire drawing processes. I

Another object is to provide an improved wire drawing lubricant which greatly increases the die life so that the number of wire drawing dies used to draw a given tonnage of wire is reduced to approximately one-third the number originally required.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following description.

The lubricant of the present invention consists of a dry mixture of ferrous sulphate having water of crystallization and an anhydrous water soluble soap. More particularly, the lubricant consists of approximately 20 to 30% ferroussulphate (F'eSOm'YHzO and F6804.4H20, etc.) and 70 to 80% of the water soluble soap. One particular soap which has proved to be successful is a sodium stearate soap having an actual soap body content of around. 95% of which approximately 90% is a fatty acid. The remaining 5% includes minor impurities and Water. The percentages given are by weight and the lubricant is prepared by mechanically mixing the ingredients together in dry condition. The lubricant is particularly adapted for the dry drawing of low carbon coarse wire and has been used successfully in drawing a No. 5 rod to a process size of 20 gauge with- 2 Claims. (Cl. 25218) out any intermediate anneals. The mixture is introduced dry into a die box and a lime coated rod is passed therethrough prior to its entrance into the first wire drawing die. The mixture re mains on the wire during the complete wire drawing operation and the coating as developed on the wire as it is passed through the dies has a chocolate color. This coated wire very closely resembles a sull coated wire. It has been found that the coating will stay on the wire despite multiple drafting and at the same time affords good lubrication. The amount of wire which must be annealed because of breakage is very greatly reduced by the use of my invention.

Having thus fully disclosed the improved wire drawing method and lubricant of the present invention, I wish to claim as new the following.

I claim:

1. A wire drawing lubricant comprising a dry mixture of from approximately 20 to 30% ferrous sulphate having water of crystallization and to of an anhydrous water soluble soap containing not more than 5% moisture, the percentages being by weight.

2. A wire drawing lubricant according to claim 1 in which the water soluble anhydrous soap has a soap body content of approximately FRANK A. FINK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,963,298 Elder June 19, 1934 2,080,599 Braley May 18, 1937 2,086,712 Green July 13, 1937 2,238,738 I-Iurd Apr. 15, 1941 2,294,535 Burwell Sept. 1, 1942 2,391,654 Swift Dec. 25, 1945 

1. A WIRE DRAWING LUBRICANT COMPRISING A DRY MIXTURE OF FROM APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 30% FERROUS SULPHATE HAVING WATER OF SRYSTALLIZATION AND 70 TO 80% OF AN ANHYDROUS WATER SOLUBLE SOAP CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 5% MOISTURE, THE PERCENTAGES BEING BY WEIGHT. 